The Wonder of it All

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe. – Proverbs 18:10, ESV

Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah – Psalm 61:2b-4, ESV

You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah – Psalm 32:7, ESV

Jack Lewis, the Bible Study Dog (BSD), likes to sleep beside me, packed as tightly as possible between my right leg and the arm of the recliner chair. Waking up one morning, I was reminded of a remark of Caesar Milan, to the effect that, typically dogs are often comforted by tight places. That might partly be because dogs, like humans, are social animals, and perhaps they carry a memory of coming into this world amidst a liter of squirming, writhing, cuddling puppies around their mother. But this is also because wild dogs, wolves and hyenas live in dens; perhaps just a depression in the dirt, a cave dug out of a hillside, or a hole taken over from other animals. After a day or night of hunting, the wild dogs come back to the den and re-establish their sense of order in the pack, care for the puppies that have been left behind, share food, and cuddle for warmth and comfort.

Humans also need a base of operations, a place to go out from, and come back to. We need a place to nurse our wounds from the world, re-establish our sense of where we fit in our family or with other allies, a place to share meals and other essentials of life, a place to care for and raise children, a place where we are understood; a place to go for shelter from the storms, pressures, chaos and enemies we all know. We must have some place to regroup, catch our breath, recharge our sense that we matter to someone, and to make plans for the struggles ahead. We call this place HOME.

When I was young, boys would build “forts.” I think that girls ‘playing house’ are reflecting a similar instinct (please no haters, I could qualify my statements in order to be PC, but hey!, we’re all adults here). We all seek a place of safety and protection, where we can exercise our God-given, Adam & Eve, before the Fall, gifts to exercise benevolent, royal dominion. In the Bible, this is called a: FORTRESS, TOWER, SHELTER, HIDING PLACE, ROCK.

The little parable (Mt. 7:24-27) at the end of Yeshua’s Sermon On the Mount is realistic: both those who hear and obey Yeshua’s words and endure; and those who hear, but do not obey his words and are washed away; experience the storm. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew…” (Mt. 7:25, ESV, comp. vs. 27) In the parable, hearing and doing Yeshua’s words is the Rock on which we may build and secure our lives. But in the Hebrew Bible texts that I have chosen, our Shelter is YHWH himself. Remember that “the name of the LORD” does not point to just using the words, but connotes the entire character of God. The same is true when we invoke the trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So we are talking about how Yahweh himself, his presence, and all of who he is, is our fortress, our safe place.

But what happens when the storm comes inside our homes, and there is literally no safe place on earth for us? Well, praise be to Yahweh, we can run to him, our Rock, at any time, and receive the refreshment, the encouragement, and just a place to be, that we need!

What are the elements of your storm right now? Financial difficulty, child custody battle, sickness, tensions with coworkers, failure, meaninglessness, confusion of voices in your world, loved ones who need to believe the Good News, a broken relationship? I could go on and on. But we all may run to the Rock, the Strong Tower, the Fortress, the Hiding Place! And I do mean RUN! Life is too dangerous to spend it exposed, without supernatural help! I’ll see you inside.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my Fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear… – Psalm 91:1-5a, ESV

Well, if I were you I would read the whole of Psalm 91 as soon as possible.

You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word. – Psalm 119:114, ESV

…Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive… – John 7:37b-39b, ESV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Ephesians 5:15-21, ESV

A great many think that, because they have been filled once, they are going to be filled for all time after; but O, my friends, we are leaky vessels, and have to be kept right under the fountain all the time in order to keep full. If we are going to be used by God we have to be very humble. A man that lives close to God will be the humblest of men. I heard a man say that God always chooses the vessel that is close to hand. Let us keep near Him. – Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899), “Glad Tidings”, 1876.

Jack Lewis, the Bible Study Dog (BSD), is known for his impressive vocalizations. I have written about some of them, including the deafening, ear-splitting bark that means: “There are Vikings coming up the walkway carrying swords and spears, and I won’t stop until I see definite signs of panic from everyone in the house!” But this morning, shortly after Terry left for work, Jack Lewis began the plaintive, mournful howl which I call “the social misery howl”. In addition to the Bible Study Dog’s scholarly (see “Jack’s New Years Bible Study” – 1/13/15 or “A Dog’s Christmas” – 12/30/15 ) and culinary interests, the BSD has social interests. Jack’s internal clock must be off a bit, so that he doesn’t realize that tonight is Bible study night, when Jack Lewis can sleep on somebody’s lap during the study or perhaps receive a bit of food from the refreshments. Still I would expect the BSD’s sense of well-being to be high, considering how much went Jack’s way yesterday and last night. He had a generous portion of the kind of high-protein diet that his ancestors ate on the African Savannah, followed by play time, laying down with me to watch the Voice, then laying down with me later for sleep, but not before receiving his dog bed-time treats, and then up this morning for a rousing game of Predator. I guess happiness leaks away for Jack, like it does for the rest of us. That led me to think of the above Scripture texts and the quote from D.L. Moody. And a couple of helpful observations about being continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

Just like a sense of well-being leaks away from us for so many reasons, our awareness of the presence and power of God in our lives leaks out, because of neglect or sin or sadness about the state of our world or falling once again into the delusion that we can build and secure our lives in our own strength. Of course, spending time humbly seeking the face of God and renewing our relationship, as suggested in the D.L. Moody quote above, is essential. But, I would like to reflect for a bit on the Ephesians passage, and then take a couple of themes from the John passage, and finally suggest an invigorating image of what continually being filled with the Holy Spirit can look like.

In the verses in Ephesians 5, before our text begins, there has been a warning about “foolish talk”, “crude joking”, “sexual immorality” and “covetousness”. And then exhortations follow, to “not become partners with” those who practice these sins, but rather to “walk as children of light”, and to “try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord”. And there are these rousing words:

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

How are we to do this? How are we to escape partnership with “the unfruitful works of darkness”, and to “walk as children of the light”? Of course self-discipline (which is part of the fruit of the Spirit – Gal. 5:22-23) and vigilance are part of the answer. St. Paul recognized that “the days are evil”, and looking around us, you and I can only agree. Therefore, we should “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time…” (Eph. 5:15-16a, ESV) This is the self-discipline and vigilance counsel.

It seems to me though, that the deeper answer is to not only to be disciplined and vigilant, but to be filled to overflowing with a powerful new affection, with God himself, with the Holy Spirit. The good drives out the evil and the light drives out the darkness. St. Paul wrote: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…” (Eph. 5:18, ESV) Part of being drunk with alcohol, is to be controlled by one’s inebriated state; “that’s the alcohol talking”, as we say. So to be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit (rather than wine, fear, pride, lust, idolatry, the world, etc.) and empowered by the Spirit.

This command in Ephesians 5 to be filled with the Spirit, has, in Greek, a continuous sense, rather than a sense of a one-time decision to be filled with the Spirit. Though it is not good English, we could translate the command as, “be continually being filled with the Spirit”. We need to be continuously seeking and opening ourselves to the presence and power, the filling, of the Holy Spirit. As in the D.L. Moody quote above, “we are leaky vessels”, and Spirit leaks out of us, and must be continuously replenished.

The result of this continuously being filled, is that the abundant life overflows out of us into others, like water in a glass under a running faucet. Our praise of God in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”, is also to be addressed to our sisters and brothers, encouraging and building them up. To be sure the Holy Spirit (in my experience), inspires a musical sound track for our lives; we are “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Eph. 5:19b, ESV). And we are “..giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Eph. 5:19, ESV)

Here is an interesting observation. Our text ends with, “…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21, ESV) And then, follows the teaching about family relationships, between husbands and wives, and parents and children. I take from this order, that we cannot submit to one another, unless we are filled, controlled, empowered by the Holy Spirit; and that all of the family teaching flows out of mutual submission; and that the family teachings also presuppose the filling of the Holy Spirit. These principles are not meant to work without the power of the Holy Spirit. Husbands are not expected to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and as they love themselves, nor are wives expected to respect their husbands, in their own strength.

Using the metaphor of water for the Spirit, and remembering that Jesus, in John 7, proclaimed that out of the believer’s “…heart will flow rivers of living water” and that Jesus understood ‘water’ as a metaphor for the Spirit, we are now in a position to use the refreshing picture of flowing, clean water to understand two powerful truths that will help us to stay filled with the Spirit even though we are leaky vessels (or containers or glasses).

Numero uno, we should always seek to be as close to God as possible and to be wherever the Spirit is falling. I hope that one of those places is me, so that when people get close to me some of the living water will splash on to them. We will need to spend time with God, seeking his face, and we will need to spend time with Spirit-filled sisters and brothers so that what they have will splash on to us, and we will need to be radically open to every motion and leading of the Spirit in our lives. The picture I see here is of someone or maybe a group of people standing under a waterfall or a fountain on a warm day.

Numero dos, we are blessed to be a blessing, and as the living water flows from us to others, we are continually filled. We can think of this from a different angle: as we bless others, we are blessed; as the living water flows through us to others, we also are refreshed. The picture I have for this, is of people standing under the water source as the water flows out of them to others, in turn making room for more water in the people. In our emphasis on being fed or ministered to, we have subtly fallen away from this picture. Think of a pond that has water flowing in to it, but not flowing out of it. It becomes stagnant of course. Christians who are continually fed with teaching that they do not live out or with spiritual blessing that they do not give away, become like stagnant ponds. You don’t want that: moss, fungus, bacteria, insect larvae, yuck! Enough said.

I gotta go. The Bible Study Dog, even after all the stimulation of Bible study and fellowship time, is already empty, and making that ear-splitting howl, saying he needs some time with the pack leader. I will be fortunate if I can concentrate to proof read this post!

This post was powered by the EP, “This Is Living – EP” (2015) by Hillsong Young & Free, the CD, “Worldwide Favorites” (1999) by Adam Again, and the CDs, “Lackluster” (2004) and “Water & Guns” (2013), by Aaron Sprinkle.

He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah – Psalm 24:5-6, ESV

Hold fast thy need; it is the bond that holds
Thy being yet to Mine. I give it thee.
A hungering and a fainting and a pain,
Yet a God-blessing. – George MacDonald (1824-1905)

For those of you who have been following the meandering pilgrimage of Jack Lewis, the Balding Bible Study Dog (BBSD), I have an update. IT’S A MIRACLE! A bit overwrought? OK, let’s try this. I am cautiously removing the word, “Balding”, from Jack Lewis’ title. Jack has slowly begun to grow hair on the crown of his head again. I think the Bible Study Dog is relieved that people are no longer startled by his lack of hair on the crown of his head. Though Jack still has some hair problems on other parts of his body, he seems conscious of the return of his handsome appearance. I have even caught Jack Lewis posing to display his handsome features as fully as possible: ears erect, tail up, eyes alert, nose pointed up, torso stretched to full length, muscles tensed to show definition on his legs. There he stands in his noble pose!

I try to remember, when I give snacks to the BSD, what the Dog Whisperer once said: let the dog come to the food rather than placing the food in its mouth. Sometimes, Jack is lazy, but usually he is very eager to come for food. In fact, some times too eager: if you forget that, you could lose a finger! Just saying… But as a good exemplar of his breed, a breed that hasn’t had all the predator and wild bred out of it, Jack’s approach to food, to acquiring the nourishment he seeks, is, shall we say, uh. intense. First, the BSD follows his nose, eagerly sniffing the air; this tells him what is on the menu. Second, after an excited dance, he becomes motionless, fixing the human with a penetrating gaze; this is prayer, specifically supplication, asking. Third, if his prayers are not rewarded immediately, if the answer seems to be “wait,” the Bible Study Dog demonstrates the intensity of his desire by dancing around excitedly, and even barking. Don’t get me wrong: the BSD can maintain a silent, humble posture for a long time (I’ve felt his presence under my desk for over an hour while I work), if he has hope.

My point today, is a simple little point, though maybe not so little to God. It’s this: that when God says, “…seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13b, ESV), he is not only giving us necessary instruction for finding him and for realizing his value (immeasurable); YHWH, The King of Creation, the Word made flesh, is also, with great vulnerability, ‘taking his heart in his hands’ as we say, and expressing HIS dream, HIS desire. This is good news! He not only rescues, forgives, saves and accepts you; he desires to be with you. God doesn’t just barely save you and then tolerate you! I know some of us have been treated that way in significant relationships. After awhile, one begins to feel like the other would rather not see too much of me, and then maybe, I am not worth very much. God is not treating you that way. Abba Father has loved you from before the foundation of the world; Yeshua left his glory in heaven and became one of us and died an excruciating death on a cross for you. And he came to earth seeking you; Yeshua wants you to seek him.

Here is God’s dream, found in Jeremiah 29:12-13 and [annotated by me]: “Then [finally!] you will call upon me [I’ve been waiting for this, for you to realize that I am your only hope] and come [seek ME] and pray to me [we have a lot to talk about – in a good way], and I will hear you [don’t worry – this will be good]. You will seek me and find me [O happy day…], when you seek me with all your heart [THAT’S what I AM talking about! Dt. 6:5].” – Jeremiah 29:12-13, ESV

There is a movement in some churches that encourages people to love to repent, not just agreeing with God and changing directions, but to feel REALLY sorry much of the time, to never forget that we are still very sinful Christians. There are those who enjoy being harangued and ‘raked over the coals’ about their sin, as their favorite form of Christian communication. I’ve got something to say about that. I’ve never once known anyone who had the understanding of God’s desire to be with them, as I’ve sketched it above, who had a hard heart or a cold heart or a heart insensitive to the Holy Spirit placing his finger on their sin. To be sure, reverence, humility and, when convicted, repentance, are appropriate responses of Christians to their holy and majestic God.

Sometimes, like other dog owners, I break up Jack Lewis’ treats into pieces, so that I can feed them to Jack slowly over time, partly so that I can enjoy the BSD’s happiness and company a little longer. If you have ever been a parent, you know what I am talking about. I’m now eager to spend a long, leisurely time with GOD, with his Word open before me, and before we are done, he might hear me singing.

Here are a couple more verses to encourage us: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Dt. 6:5, ESV); “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23, ESV).

This post was powered by the album, “Keith Green: The Greatest Hits” (2008) by Keith Green, and the song, “Harp In My Heart” from the album, “Palanquin” (2002) by Keven Prosch.

HEART (human) n., pronunciation: huh-art 1. Organ that regulates the blood flow in a body; 2. spiritual aspect of humans that can be:

PURE, CLEAN

BROKEN, SHATTERED

OFFERED

GIVEN

TAKEN

MOVED

SMITTEN

FRAGILE, BRITTLE

SOFT, TENDER, COMPASSIONATE

HARD, A HEART OF STONE, UNRESPONSIVE, DISOBEDIENT, CALLOUSED

A HEART OF FLESH, RESPONSIVE, OBEDIENT, SENSITIVE

PROUD

HUMBLE

REPENTANT

UNREPENTANT

WHOLE, HEALTHY

SICK, BLUE, SAD

TWISTED, CRUEL

MADE NEW, RESTORED

HEALED, SAVED

A PLACE (according to singer/song-writer Michael Knott) WHERE ONE CAN HOLD HANDS WITH YOUR MAKER

ON FIRE, PASSIONATE

COLD

PRECIOUS, A TREASURE, VALUABLE

THROWN AWAY, NOT TREASURED

USED, ABUSED, MISUSED

SYNONYMOUS IN THE BIBLE WITH SPIRIT, WILL (BUT NOT SOUL)

MISERABLE, DESPONDENT

DESPERATE

SATISFIED, FULFILLED

LOVING, AFFECTIONATE

HATEFUL, SPITEFUL

A FACULTY OF SIGHT

AWARE OF OTHER HEARTS

WISE

FOOLISH

DISCERNING

TOUCHED

LIFTED UP TO THE LORD

WASTED, IGNORED

OPEN

CLOSED

JEALOUS

GENEROUS

MISERLY, STINGY, SELFISH

GREEDY, COVETOUS, ENVIOUS

LOST

FOUND

POSSESSED, OWNED

GUARDED, CAUTIOUS, SUSPICIOUS

BRAVE

TRUE, FAITHFUL

UNFAITHFUL

VULNERABLE

IMPREGNABLE

PROTECTED

ALIVE (TO GOD, PERSONS, CREATION AND/OR THE WORLD)

DEAD (UNRESPONSIVE TO GOD, PERSONS, CREATION, THE WORLD AND ITS OWN SOUL, MIND, SENSES & EMOTIONS)

ETC.

Now, here’s the thing (that’s the way I speak), if you are going to give your HEART to someone, be sure that one… is worthy of it.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” – Proverbs 4:23, ESV

This post was powered by the songs, “Broken Things” and “Speed Of Light” by Julie Miller, from the album “Broken Things” (1999), and the song, “Here Is My Heart” by Jesus Culture, from the album, “Your Love Never Fails” (2008).

“I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.” (Ps. 119:131)

“My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
that I may mediate on your promise.” (Ps. 119:148)

“In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.” (Ps. 119:14, 16)

Jack Lewis, the Balding Bible Study Dog (BBSD) hasn’t had much energy to pursue his biblical studies this week. He has been absorbed in his culinary interests, including his highly vocal prayers for the high-protein diet that his ancestors ate on the African Savannah, anytime he believes I might be receptive to his entreaties. Jack, the BBSD, has learned well the lessons of his early Bible study on the unjust judge and the widow (see my post of 7/21/14, “Prayer – Part Uno/Uns/Eins/One”). However, Jack has not finished his studies on the importance of seeking, not only the hand, but also the face. When Jack Lewis’ prayers are in the discernment phase, he stares intently into my eyes, with his eagerness offered as a sign of intense desire. But when Jack smells the food, his interest turns completely to my hand or wherever he suspects the food is. People are like this too. Sometimes, we seek God’s Hand and not his Face; we are more interested in what God can give us, than we are in him, and spending time with him; more interested in the gifts than the Giver. We treat God like a Coke machine: we place our money (prayers) in the Coke machine (God) and automatically receive what we want.

But a few days ago, I gave Jack Lewis a bone with a little meat on it, from my plate. He ran off with it protectively, which is typical canine behavior (there are a lot of nutrients in the marrow, and a dog/wolf may bury it to dig it up later when nourishment is scarce). In a few minutes, the BBSD returned with the bone, to enjoy it in my presence, while he lay beside me companionably, as I worked at my desk. Was he grateful? Or had he found that his pleasure is greater when he is with the Pack Leader? In any case, Jack has made progress in understanding personal relationships. And, I felt warm inside, enjoying Jack’s pleasure.

In Psalm 1, we can read that the happy/blessed one, who doesn’t sit in “the seat of scoffers” (see my post, “How To Treat A Fool” of 1/22/15), has “his delight is the law [torah, instruction] of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” In the past we have considered several kinds of Christian prayer and meditation. Now, I want to point to a Word-focused (Bible) meditation that: 1) involves one’s senses (taste, sight, hearing, touch, etc.); 2) is continuous, “day and night”; and 3) is before the face of God (Lat. coram Deo), with an awareness of his presence.

1) The Hebrew word behind the word in Psalm 1, usually translated in English as “meditates”, has the idea of rolling the words around in one’s mouth, like say, a lozenge or smooth stone, and enjoying, not just the meaning of the words, but also the sound, feel, almost taste of the words. This has been compared to a cow chewing its cud. I see this sort of meditation as not only a focused time of meditation, but also the reality of taking portions of the Bible, maybe even just a couple of words, and repeating them, memorizing them, considering them along side of one’s everyday experiences. This can also be an audible reality. Jack makes varied sounds as he pursues his culinary interests: he snorts, moans, yelps, snaps his teeth, his nails clicking on the tiles, as Jack Lewis dances with delight.

2) A video was commended on the internet recently, encouraging us to focus more on face-to-face encounters than on our Iphones, lap-tops, androids, computers, etc. I agree that face-to-face encounters are best. However, technology helps me to continuously feed on the Word. My rehab period from my foot surgery keeps being drawn out, but I keep thinking of others too, like stay-at-home mothers, who will understand what I am talking about. I still believe in the quiet forms of prayer and meditation that I have written about in earlier posts. But, here is how a few hours of continuous meditation on Scripture sometimes looks for me: 1. I listen to four Scripture readings on a podcast; 2. I read several devotional readings on my Kindle; 3. I copy down some Bible texts to memorize, and paste some quotes found yesterday on the internet, or in my reading, in a notebook. I look at and repeat the memory verses throughout the day, so that they become more a part of me (eating), and so that the verses and everything else I experience today can be seen together, and so that they shed light on each other. 4. I turn on the Christian praise music loud; alternative and/or mainstream music is for later in the day. 5. I begin my work, checking in with my Christian friends from around the world (BTW, this blog is read in many countries, and I’m grateful for every reader). I live in the story of God’s kingdom coming, surrounded by the Word and words like this:

It is noisy and it is a kind of multitasking. Let me say two things about that: one) I value the life of the mind and would not be a Christian today with out it, because once you have been educated beyond a certain point, you cannot go back; reading the Bible only is not an option. But, you must go forward to love God with all your mind. Still, I probably would not be a Christian today without music; I thank God frequently that I lived long enough to hear The Violet Burning. I am an unreconstructed rocker and still play my electric and acoustic guitars. This is an important “love language” that God has for me. two) Isn’t multitasking a logical application of Brother Lawrence’s “Practicing the Presence of God”? Brother Lawrence would recall God to mind in his daily tasks, like washing the dishes.

3) Finally, I am calling for multitasking before God! I assume God is speaking to me through the Bible texts I have been led to. I talk with him noisily, softly and silently about every bit of torah (instruction) that comes from his mouth. I talk with him about all the opportunities that are before us today. When a skill is needed, I ask Jesus, the Smartest Man Whoever Lived, about what I should do. Yeshua ALWAYS comes through! Sometimes we just sit companionably and enjoy each other’s company while I eat noisily, feasting on the Word. I think often of these words from the song, “You Won’t Relent” (2008) by Jesus Culture: “I don’t want to talk about You, like You’re not in the room; Wanna to look right at You, Wanna sing right to You…”

Note that the one who “meditates day and night” on Scripture is given these promises:

“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)

This post was powered by the CD, “Saved” (1980) by Bob Dylan, the CD, “Hearts In Exile” (2011) by Journey Worship, the CD, “Your Love Never Fails” (2008) by Jesus Culture, and the CD, “Borderland” (2014) by John Mark McMillan.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3b, 7, NRSV)

“Do not answer fools according to their folly,
or you will be a fool yourself.” (Prov. 26:4, NRSV)

OK, wait for it…WAIT for it…

“Answer fools according to their folly,
or they will be wise in their own eyes.” (Prov. 26:5, NRSV)

Events of the last few days have led me to ponder when to apply each verse; or more precisely, when, because of compassion (1), should I stay in a conversation, with the hope that, at least, seeds of the kingdom of God, rumors of glory, might be planted, OR…when should I extricate myself from obtuse fools and unedifying conversation? The story begins about a week I ago.

The Rev. Dr. Jim Miller, a pastor of the thriving Glenkirk Church in the quiet, suburban city of Glendora, authored a book: “Hardwired: Finding the God You Already Know” (Abingdon Press, 2013). Jim Miller, my former presbytery colleague and current Facebook friend, asked me recently to “like” the “Hardwired” Facebook page. Last week, I read the book on my Kindle. A variety of worries and concerns met me as I read, though now after reading the book a couple more times, I have a more appreciative view of the book.

I began a blog post to respond to the concerns I had about the book. Often when I make a post, it is as long as a term paper, and requires two or three days to write. I was determined that I was not going to produce a critique that long; when I make a long post, I try to make one that works on several levels, has humor, a spiritual point, unexpected content, and is seeded with a few spiritual time-bombs that will go off later, opening up unexpected prospects for the reader (I believe this is why this blog is read in so many countries). I gave myself one afternoon to write the post. However, as the afternoon wore on, I saw that for me to be fair to the author, and understood by my readers, a long post would be required after all. So after writing several pages, I just threw them in the trash. I would just try to continue to exemplify in my blog posts, my approach to Christian apologetics, or what I prefer to call commending a Christian faith and worldview.

Then I thought I might receive some help from an online discussion. I was a member of a group that I had never used. You might think that with “apologetics” in the title, the group would be mostly sympathetic to Christian faith, though of course, some members might not be Christians. You would be wrong. I asked what members thought of the book, “Hardwired”, and then asked a longer and more nuanced version of this question: “Isn’t the use of the metaphor, ‘hardwired’, a double-edged sword? When used outside of the original context of computer science/artificial intelligence, it seems to be a pseudo-scientific term that gives an unearned patina of science to arguments. It was used in this way first by anti-religious materialists.” At first, I received some short, helpful responses. Then the anti-Christian trolls came out from under the bridge, so to speak. Anything I said was deemed so obviously false that it did not need to be refuted. Responses that I made that got too close to their targets, were met with lazy misunderstanding or attempts to distract me (and the group) with irrelevant questions. You’ve probably seen in political discourse, that sometimes questions about an issue are met with just changing the subject by bringing up another issue. One member exemplified the very worry I had, by attempting to debunk religious beliefs by explaining how they are hardwired into us because they have an evolutionary survival value. Insults to Christian faith, and a kind of bullying that involves the words “of course…”, flowed freely for the next 24 hours. My instinct is too stay with a conversation and too never give up. But this conversation had sunk into a morass of willful misunderstanding and foolishness. And so, I applied the proverb, “Do not answer fools according to their folly…” With Jack Lewis, the Balding Bible Study Dog (BBSD), out of the room, I was bold to also remember this verse: “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who reverts to his folly.” Leaving the reversionists behind, I ‘unjoined’ the group with “extreme prejudice” (to paraphrase the film, “Apocalypse Now”).

Remembering that, “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.'” (Ps. 14:1a. NRSV), the question before us is: When should we apply Proverbs 26:4, and when should we apply Proverbs 26:5? I do believe that all humans bear the image of God, and so, even foolish or evil ones have dignity, and should be treated with respect. Two thoughts come to mind. 1) One of the principles of L’Abri Fellowship, founded by Dr. Francis and Edith Schaeffer, is to give an honest answer to every honest question. There is a presumption of staying with the conversation, even if the answer is, “I’ll get back to you on that, after I’ve done some work on it.” But, if the questioner is insincere, unwilling to seek and acknowledge truth, then one’s time and energy is better spent elsewhere. 2) Dallas Willard, in the DVD series accompanying his final book, “Living In Christ’s Presence: Final Words On Heaven and the Kingdom Of God” (InterVarsity Press, 2014), said that he will not debate with atheists/agnostics/materialists/etc., but that he will engage with them in a common search for truth.

Another way of thinking about this is to remember that Christians are to be “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15a, NRSV). Some of us are ostensibly more oriented to the truth-speaking command, and some, to the love command. We need to live out both parts of the instruction, or we risk being cold and pedantic, on the one hand, or mushy and intellectually flabby, on the other hand. It seems to me though, that without love, one’s truth-seeking becomes distorted, and one’s truth-speaking drives people away. And, love entails willingness to help people acquire the knowledge that they need (1).

(1) See my post of 10/12/14: “Lack of Knowledge Is a Compassion Issue.”

“To watch over mouth and tongue
is to keep out of trouble.
The proud, haughty person, named “Scoffer,”
acts with arrogant pride.” (Prov. 21:23-24, NRSV)

This post was powered by the CD, “The Banner Days Sampler” (2014) by The Banner Days, the CD, “Modern” (1999) by Battered Fish, the CD, “Love Songs And Prayers [A Retrospective]” (1994) by the Choir, and the CD, “Brutal Romantic” (2014) by Brooke Fraser.

Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, ESV)

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. (Eccl. 11:6, ESV)

Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. (Eccl. 11:10, ESV)

“No Ship Coming In”

It’s all breaking down
Crushed into the ground
But I will love you forever

It’s falling apart
Hopeless and dark
But we’re gonna see it through together

Caught in a landslide
Earthquakes and high tides

It’s gonna be a rough ride
But I’ll stay by your side

By grace we remain
With hands in the flame
But I will love you forever

Times may be hard
We’re crippled and scarred
But we’re gonna see it through together
(we’re gonna see it through)

Dreams of a lifetime
Way past the deadline
We’re pushing up an incline
But we’ll be just fine

No money to spend
(hard times are comin’ again)
No ship comin’ in
(We’re here through the thick and the thin)
But we’re gonna see it through together (“No Ship Coming In” from the CD, “Little Red Riding Hood” (1993) by The Lost Dogs)

So, how’s the new year working out for you so far? Well, I’m already behind in two reading groups that started at the beginning of the year and I have not even finished reading the New Year’s resolutions list I thought I would adopt. Someone has moved my books and magazines around, and whichever calender I eventually choose (don’t you get multiple calenders in the mail too?), still doesn’t accurately reflect my schedule. No worries mate; we’ll work this out together.

In the canine-human relationship, sometimes one lifts the other’s spirits, and sometimes, one brings the other down. I’m leaving out, for now, the happy case where the companions’ energy is more equitably and subtly shared. But the past few days, Jack Lewis and I have both been tumbling together, for various reasons, into the abyss.

After a few days of focused tasks, the Bible study last evening, and before that, the last post, “A Dog’s Christmas”, my motivations are what I call under-determined. If I knew what the right, best action was for now, then one thing would lead to another, and I would be in the groove, with duty and delight leading me forward. I can’t speak for Jack Lewis, the Balding Bible Study Dog (BBSD), but right now I’m at loose ends.

But something, is bothering the Balding Bible Study Dog. To the barks I’ve told you about (the warning that Vikings are coming up the walkway, the preemptive challenge, the social misery howl, and the bark suggesting that “SOMETHING is going on outside and I won’t stop until everyone shows signs of panic”), must now be added the whoo-whoo anxious bark, various high-pitched vocalizations, and the bark that says, “I know you don’t see anything out there, but can you SMELL what I smell?”

I found this definition for the word, ‘ennui’: a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. Ennui seems to describe both Jack and me. To that could be added the word,’acedia’, which is associated with sloth, langour, sadness and torpor. Whatever the case, I have just been aroused from torpor by the BBSD’s clumsy wrestling with his Bible. Sometimes, like now, Jack uses the unreliable method of choosing his verse for the week, by closing his eyes, placing his paw in an open Bible, wherever it opens; and wherever his middle nail points, that will be where the Balding Bible Study Dog begins his studies. Jack Lewis laments that dogs do not have opposable thumbs, which would allow him to select a more rational method for finding guidance and inspiration. Of course humans have less excuse. (1)

Jack’s paw descended into Ecclesiastes, and landed (I kid you not!) on Eccl. 9:4: “But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living DOG is better than a dead lion.” (ESV, but emphasis added by the BBSD) What does this mean? ‘It’s not over til it’s over’? ‘While there’s life, there’s hope’? Or the modern materialist version: ‘If you’ve got your health, you’ve got every thing’? Or the glass half-full or half-empty version: ‘At least your alive’? Or ‘It’s not over until the fat lady sings’ (Oops! Just kidding)? Or what about: at least you’re alive and have a chance of changing your circumstances; or, to be alive is essential, but dignity, not so much…? Jack Lewis and I are going to ask how our randomly selected verses might address our ennui and depression? At the very least, this verse says ‘no’ to suicide, and not only physical suicide, but emotional and spiritual. Hang on! God may act in some wonderful way soon! Don’t give up. Also, don’t give into mind-numbing lethargy, but stay alert to all of God’s creation around you and the opportunities God has set before you (Jack, the Opportunistic Predator: “Did someone say, op?”). (2)

The next verse that the Balding Bible Study Dog found was: “Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?” (Eccl. 4:11, ESV) Immediately, Jack Lewis thinks of our sleeping arrangements: Jack sleeps tightly packed against my right leg, while I drift off to sleep with my hand on his back. A couple of nights recently the temperature was down to F34. Even last night, with the temperature up in the 50s, Jack was shivering. Do you know the band, Three Dog Night? Their name is an Eskimo expression for a very cold night, so cold it takes three dogs to stay warm. Do you know that normal dog temperature runs a few degrees higher than normal human temperature? Companionship, warmth and touch make the world a little easier to face.

Jack’s nail slipped down to the following verse: “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Eccl. 4:12, ESV) Who would you choose to be with you in a dark alley? The last phrase in the verse is brought out for weddings and anniversaries and is found sometimes on greeting cards. But back to our project: some realities require other people and some situations are best faced with others, like ennui or depression. The New Testament uses locutions for ‘one another’ about 323 times. There are commands to: “love one another”, “encourage one another”, “forgive one another”, “build one other up”, etc. The Christian life is not merely me alone in my room with God, or in my solitude, like Soren Kierkegaard. A Christian is a member of the Body of Christ and is connected in specific ways to other members of the Body. A Christian is adopted into the Family of God, which includes not only Jesus our elder brother, but a host aunts, uncles, siblings, mothers and fathers. Share a blessing or thanksgiving or praise with another Christian and your joy is doubled and the experience is completed and sealed. Share a sorrow or challenge or difficulty or need with another Christian, and your burden is cut in half. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Rom. 12:15, ESV) This would be a good time to reread the lyrics for the song, “No Ship Coming In”, printed above.

Look at the Bible texts at the beginning of this post. They are saying, at least, that even if you do not have a lot of confidence in a positive outcome of your problems, even if, in your ennui and depression, the glass is half empty (and there is a leak in the bottom of the glass), do something. The old Nike commercial said, “Just do it!”, as if you know what you want to do, and just need encouragement or permission. But our texts call us to do something, to do SOME thing. If you have ennui, you don’t know what you want to do, so don’t be paralyzed in indecision. Do SOME thing; try everything; send out 25 resumes; plant 25 flowers; send out 25 orders; sing 25 songs; make a phone call; take your dog for a walk, and so on. Try everything; you don’t know what will work. The more bread you throw on the waters, the more orders you send out, the more chances you have of a good outcome.

And then from Ecclesiastes 9:7-10, I take that one should enjoy what is before one: food, wine, clothes, hair products (!), “the wife whom you love” (3). But note the Preacher does not believe in the full Christian hope of eternal life with God. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” (Eccl. 9:10, ESV) This is the only life you have, so do what you want and enjoy the moment. I will object to some of this later.

So to face depression, ennui, acedia, the night, or just the morning:

1. Stay alive and alert to God, creation, people, beauty and dogs. No kind of suicide is on our ‘to do list’ today.

2. Stay connected. Touch, people and dogs are almost always a good idea; they ground us in immediate reality, and wake us up.

3. Everyone needs friends (like the tag line on our morning news program: “Mornings are better with friends.”). Everyone could use some help sometime. We need the family of God. And what a comfort it is to know that someone has your back, and of course, that we are needed to help someone else.

4. Do something! Do SOME thing! Do. Some. Thing.

However, I must acknowledge that just doing something, doing whatever, is not enough for me. I’m not wired that way. I need to sense that I am basically doing the right thing each moment: right for me, right for God, right for the people I love, right for the Kingdom of God. I am not thinking of a legalistic attitude, nor am I trying to impress God or earn his favor (I already have God’s, love, acceptance and forgiveness because of Christ’s work in his life, death and resurrection). I’m just thinking that one’s life should be a work of art. I like a French translation of Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the meek”: “Heureux sont les debonaire”. Debonaire, like Fred Astaire! Moment by moment guidance from Yeshua, and partnership with him in bringing something of beauty into this world, while subverting the old world order (like a secret agent!) is my aspiration. That is why I cherish verses like these: “The sheep hear his [Jesus’] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:3b, ESV); “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21, ESV)

Well, I gotta go; Jack is begging me to go to bed. But I will leave you with this:

(1) God can, and sometimes does, speak through the Bible text one sees first. I think of St. Augustine hearing a child’s voice saying, “Take up and read”, and that he felt compelled to open the Bible and take as God’s word to him the first verses that he saw: “…interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book, and read the first chapter I should find.” (“Confessions”, ch. XII) The verses he saw? Especially Romans 13:13-14. However, one should read longer texts, like whole Bible books, and maybe use a Bible reading plan to read the Bible in a year or three. Here’s why: 1) texts should be interpreted in context, that is a verse in the context of the chapter, a chapter in the light of the whole book, the book in it’s place in the narrative of God with his creation, especially Israel and Jesus; and 2), we desire to live in the light of the whole story of God’s rescue of his creation and his passionate love for us. We desire to live the Story, and we want the Story to describe for us all of our encounters.

(2) No actual Bibles were damaged in the making of this post.

(3) I can’t help noting what seems to me to be an odd way of speaking, though it may be perfectly innocent. Is the author referring to a favorite wife, maybe the second wife? The whole passage is advice for living “the days of your vain [meaningless?] [Heb., hebel – “vapor” or “mere breath”] life” (Eccl. 9:9, ESV), without the prospect of a meaningful afterlife. Many kings in ancient Israel and Judah had multiple wives and concubines. King Solomon, who may be behind Ecclesiastes, especially had a reputation for having many wives and princesses (700) and concubines (300). Many of his marriages were to cement political alliances (“princesses”), it’s true, but there is no way that Solomon can be construed as monogamous, nor can the author of Ecclesiastes be construed as often denying himself sexual pleasure with multiple women (see Eccl. 2:8, 10; 11:9). So the song “Love The One You’re With” (1970) by Stephen Stills, with lyrics like, “If you’re down and confused and can’t remember who you’re talkin’ to; Concentration slip away, Because your baby’s so far away… If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with… There’s a girl right next to you, and she’s just waiting for something to do; get it together; make it nice; You ain’t gonna need any more advice…” This kind of thinking has screwed up my generation; and living for the moment or acting with disdain for consequences, are attitudes that many of us need to lean against in ourselves.
Probably many of us think of the biblical, “wife of your youth”, when we read, “wife whom you love”; but that doesn’t seem to be the spirit of our text. However, that brings me to a comparison of the two phrases and what I’m trying to do in this MOAF (mother of all footnotes). “Wife of your youth” appears exactly four times in the Bible, for instance, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth…” (Prov. 5:18, ESV) Three of the four verses encourage faithfulness in marriage to one partner (Prov. 5:18; Malachi 2:14 and 2:15). What is interesting to me is that the reason for faithfulness in marriage, given in Malachi 2:15, is that God is seeking, “Godly offspring”. This is not to say that the only divine purpose for marriage is procreation; but note that faithfulness makes sense when one has a long-term perspective, a perspective lacking in Ecclesiastes 9:7-10. Some projects, and some relationships, are only possible if one is committed until the end. Ironically, sexual promiscuity leads increasingly to an inability to feel the most profound emotions, and to missing the deep intimacies that can only be found with dedication and time.

This post was powered by the song, “Sometimes I Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything” (2014) by Tweito, the CD, “The Best Of The Lost Dogs” (1996) by The Lost Dogs and the song, “Love the One You’re With” (1970) by Stephen Stills.